Thoughts on a 78-61 win against the Boilermakers:

This was rivalry. A physical, emotional, high-energy affair inside a rocking Mackey Arena. Jordan Hulls jumping out of bounds to extend an Indiana possession; Sandi Marcius diving to the ground for a loose ball; D.J.Byrd crowding Christian Watford on a sidelines inbounds.

But the shots, perhaps due to the all the bluster surrounding this one, were simply not falling in the first half. Purdue missed all 11 of its 3-point attempts and entered halftime with just an eFG% of 20. Ugly stuff. The Hoosiers, though they held an 11-point advantage at the break, weren’t exactly shooting lights out either (35.3 eFG%). The second half began and Purdue started making buckets. But the Hoosiers did not wilt. Victor Oladipo, now back in the starting lineup, brought that swag — one so crucial to the Hoosiers’ early season rise — to West Lafayette. He slashed to the rim for buckets; he made smart decisions; he dished like a point guard. By game’s end, he scored a career-high 23 points and added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. This is the kind of line he used to put up. This is the kind of line and performance Indiana needed tonight with Verdell Jones sidelined and Watford only mustering four points via some late free throw and missing all seven of his field-goal attempts.

Every time Purdue would make a run in the second half, the Hoosiers responded. And even when the Boilermakers cut it to four (65-61) with just a touch under three minutes remaining and Mackey was electric, still, the Hoosiers kept their poise. In Big Ten play, we’ve seen Indiana not making the plays and losing their cool down the stretch on the road. But in the final three minutes the Hoosiers extended a four-point lead to a 17-point win. Will Sheehey — who had seven points and seven boards — came up with a huge block on Lewis Jackson after Jordan Hulls turned over the ball. Remy Abell — who impressed with 13 points and four boards — hit a three off some Oladipo penetration and an extra pass from Watford. The Hoosiers made 10 of their last 12 free throws in that stretch and forced Purdue into two late turnovers after the Boilermakers had been so clean for much of this contest.

This was Indiana bending, but not breaking. It was the Hoosiers coming into a hostile environment, likely the most hostile they’ll encounter this season, and responding after falling so flat early just days earlier this week against Michigan.

This was also Indiana’s first win inside MackeyArena since 2006.

Goodnight, Boilermaker fans. Drive home safe.

SOME NUMBERS

+ Indiana hit a lot of free throws late. But it was also a category the Hoosiers excelled in all game long in this physical contest. They shot 29-of-35 (82.9%) which was good for a high free throw rate (FTA/FGA) of 63.6%. Purdue, not a team that has been getting to the line a ton in conference play,  attempted 15 less (14-of-20, 70%).

+ The Hoosiers crashed the offensive boards hard and came down with 44.4% of their misses this evening. It allowed for 21 second-chance points.

+ Indiana scored 1.1 points per possession in this one. Purdue clocked in at .87.

Thoughts on a 68-56 loss to the Wolverines:

Things did not start well in Ann Arbor this evening.

Indiana missed shots. It turned the ball over and allowed Michigan to have its way on offense. The Wolverines frustrated Cody Zeller down low. With 7:12 to go before half, the Hoosiers had only mustered eight points and were down 20. The road has not been kind to this team in Big Ten play. And here they were, struggling amidst the cheers of the opposing crowd once again. But Jordan Hulls came to play. He made threes; he made runners in the lane. And things began to settle. By half, the Hoosiers were (only) down 11 after turning the ball over on 29.9% of their possessions and lacking polish and poise for a long stretch before the break.

The second half began and Tom Crean made some changes. Out came Christian Watford from the starting lineup after only playing seven minutes in the first half. In came Derek Elston. In came Remy Abell for the injured Verdell Jones, Victor Oladipo for Will Sheehey. For the second straight game, Elston displayed how he’s capable of performing when he brings energy and focus (nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, two rebounds). He was key in keeping this one close in the second half. And when Crean inserted Watford back into the lineup, he rose to what was surely a challenge from his coach. He guarded Trey Burke well for a stretch, using his size to disrupt him. Hulls kept scoring (18 points, 6-of-12, 4-of-5 from three). Tim Hardaway Jr. was mostly inefficient on the offensive end for Michigan. And this game was well within reach for the Hoosiers.

But as we’ve seen of late on the road, the home team has executed when it matters and the Hoosiers have fallen flat. So after Watford split a pair of free throw to pull the Hoosiers within two (52-50) with 2:58 to go, that was as close as Indiana would get. Burke penetrated and dished to Hardaway, who made his second three (2-of-8) of the night. Michigan’s next possession was more of the same. Hardaway missed a lay-up, but Indiana allowed Jordan Morgan to snag an offensive rebound, similar to how the Hoosier let it slip away against Wisconsin late by giving up crucial rebounds to the opponent. Michigan ran some clock. Burke drove baseline on Abell and kicked to Hardaway Jr. in the left corner. He passed up to Stu Douglass on the left wing. Douglass drained a three. Indiana found itself down 58-50 with 1:47 to go and that was pretty much all she wrote, save for some desperation late fouling.

Another road loss for the Hoosiers. Another reminder that for all the improvements this team has showed from this season to last, winning on the road in the Big Ten remains an elusive proposition.

SOME NUMBERS

+ For the game, Indiana turned the ball over on 24.1% of its possessions (14 total). Michigan converted these miscues into 17 points. That’s 25 percent of the Wolverines’ points right there.

+ While Indiana allowed a key offensive rebound late in the game to Michigan, it actually did a great job containing the Wolverines there for most of the contest. Michigan only recorded three offensive rebounds the entire game (12.0 OR%). (Though, Michigan’s offensive rebounding is not a strong suit.)

+ Indiana had a below average night from beyond the arc, hitting just 5-of-14 (35.7%). If the Hoosiers fail to keep up their hot shooting from 3-point range, they’re going to need to find other ways to score.

Thoughts on a 103-89 win against the Hawkeyes:

There was Thursday’s slow-paced, every-possession-counts loss to the Badgers.

But tonight inside Assembly Hall? Decidely different. Blink and you missed a bucket. Indiana’s relentless scoring early in the shot clock was reminiscent of the pre-conference season, where it was defensive rebound/force a turnover, pass, push the pace, shot attempt — on repeat. Most of tonight’s offense didn’t even come off the 3-ball (just 4-of-16); it was dunks on dunks on dunks. Indiana would simply draw the defense and find an open man around the bucket — often Mr. Cody Zeller, who finished the game with seven dunks and a career-high 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting. And when the Hoosiers were missing their first attempts on offense, there were plenty of extra opportunities to be had.

Consider this: Indiana rebounded 57.1 percent of its misses (20 total offensive rebounds) and scored 23 second-chance points. Now, this was against the Big Ten’s worst defense. The Hawkeyes were giving up a league-worst 1.11 points per possession coming into tonight’s contest. Still, the Hoosiers were incredibly dominant, scoring 1.34 points per possession to finish with over 100 points in a Big Ten league game. This is rare. In fact, Indiana’s 103 points were the most scored by a team in league play all season. It was the first time the Hoosiers surpassed the 100-point barrier in Big Ten play since March 12, 1995 against the Hawkeyes.

Perhaps rarer still: Derek Elston and Tom Pritchard had strong offensive outings. Elston was hot early; he hit two threes and a jumper during a quick stretch in the first half. The Tipton native finished the night with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting (2-of-2 from three). Pritchard scored in transition with a layup during the first half. He made one of two free throws. He scored a season-high seven points in 11 minutes and also took two charges.

Indiana scored 58 (!) points in the paint. The Hoosiers hit 25-of-31 from the line (80.6%). And in a game with a lot of possessions, they had a livable 13 turnovers (18.0 TO%).

And most importantly: After Iowa has had Indiana’s numbers the last couple go-rounds, the Hoosiers made sure the W was pretty much never in doubt.

OTHER THOUGHTS

+ Will Sheehey shaved his head. He also started in place of Victor Oladipo. And well, it was probably time for that. Oladipo, a player who thrives off energy, seemed to have lost his mojo over the last stretch of games. But in this uptempo game suited for an offensive player of his style, he had a bit of a rebirth — playing with a spark and scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He hasn’t scored that many since pumping 15 points in against Ohio State on New Year’s Eve. He exited the floor for the evening on a block of a jump shot, a fitting way to go out. An engaged Oladipo will be of great service to the Hoosiers the rest of the way if he can keep it up.

+ Lots of positives here. But the defense was a little concerning despite the blowout win. Iowa scored 1.19 points per possession and shot it quite well (70.4% eFG). Basically this: Not a lot of defense played this evening. But fans of scoring were certainly rewarded.

Thoughts on a 57-50 loss to the Badgers:

Look above.

Verdell Jones has been through it all, seen it all in the Tom Crean era.

And so his hot start in his last trip to the Kohl Center was perhaps fitting. It was the senior at his best. The silky mid-range game. Taking what’s there and not forcing the issue. By half, Jones had pumped in 12 of Indiana’s 27 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Hoosiers took a two-point lead into the locker room. The defense was communicating and helping. Indiana looked destined to stay in this one until the very end.

But in the second half,  Jones cooled off (he finished 6-of-10 and didn’t score after the break). The Hoosiers had some unforced turnovers early. Cody Zeller had arguably his worst game as a Hoosiers stretching across the whole game (foul troubled limited him; he got blocked a fair amount; he had seven points on 2-for-7 shooting). Still, the Hoosiers were indeed in this one until the very end. But Wisconsin executed down the stretch — or perhaps the refs were kind to the Badgers, as many articulated via social media — and Indiana was unable to counter, unable to sneak out of the Kohl Center with a win. Wisconsin hit six straight free throws (and 12-of-12 in the second half) in the last 1:03 to close this one out on a 6-0 run after being up 51-50. They grabbed some key offensive boards as well.

Despite the loss, all and all, this was a strong effort from the Hoosiers. They were in this one from start to finish, never really showed a lack of focus or poise. And had a few other things gone their way late, we may have been singing a different tune.

Instead, the Hoosiers remain winless in Madison since 1998 and fall to 4-5 in the conference.

A LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS

+ I noted above that Zeller got blocked a helping of times, but it wasn’t just the Washington native having trouble getting a shot off. The Badgers had eight total blocks  – five by Jared Berrgren, one each from Mike Bruesewitz (that block of Will Sheehey’s dunk) Ryan Evans and Frank Kaminsky. In a low possession game, this was a decent factor, as Wisconsin actually finished the night with a block percentage (percent of shots shots blocked) of 14.9.

+ They say as Jordan Taylor goes, so goes Wisconsin. And I suppose that was sort of true tonight. Indiana never really let him be much of a factor for much of the contest. He only scored 10 points (5-of-14 from the floor, 0-of-5 from 3-point range). Though, as usual, he was strong with the ball, never turning it over in 39 minutes of action.

+ The Badgers scored 1.06 points per possession on the evening; Indiana scored at a .91 points per possession clip.

Thoughts on a 73-54 win against the Nittany Lions:

Sometimes, you just need to make things easy for yourself. And then it all opens up.

After a grind-it-out first half where Indiana found itself trailing at intermission, an early Jordan Hulls steal after halftime led to a Verdell Jones bucket in transition. Jones smiled wide. From there, the Hoosiers returned to form and once again became that team they’ve shown they can be outside of their recent three-game losing streak. The 3-ball was falling (7-of-16, 43.8%) and the offense opened up in a big way. Cody Zeller played with great efficiency (7-of-8 from the field, 4-of-4 from the line, 18 points). And all the little things went Indiana’s way. An unmasked Derek Elston snagged an offensive board and put it back in for two, aiding in Indiana winning the second-chance point battle (14-8) after a first half where Penn State had several offensive boards. The Hoosiers were sloppy and turned the ball over at too high a rate during the losing streak. But things improved here, too. Indiana only turned the ball over on 16.3% of its possessions and had just nine turnovers in total this afternoon.

The defense did its job, as it held Penn State to only 25 points in the second half and an eFG% of 38 for the game. (Though, Penn State, a poor shooting team to begin with, certainly didn’t do itself any favors, as it missed plenty of good looks this afternoon as well.)

Things got chippy in this one. There were lots of whistles in the second half. The Nittany Lions were jawing at the Hoosiers. And it all culminated in Travis Ross’ hard foul of Christian Watford with six seconds to go. It was unnecessary and intentionally malicious. In the ensuing scuffle, Will Sheehey — the victim of an earlier hard foul at the hands of Penn State  – dropped some f-bombs, received his second technical (the first of which came from some earlier jawing after that hard foul) and was booted from the game.

It wasn’t pretty. But this sort of game also wasn’t the worst thing for Indiana to encounter. When nothing else was working for Penn State, the Nittany Lions got snippy. And the Hoosiers stood tall and did not back down. They simply continued to control the game all second half and never let Penn State sniff a comeback.

A double-digit win for the Hoosiers. The recent rough patch now in the past. Order, for now, restored.

QUICKLY …

+ Shout-out to Matt Roth. Many probably didn’t expect him to be contributing like he has this season, but he’s quietly established himself as a go-to rotation player for Tom Crean, squeezing out minutes from the likes of Remy Abell and Austin Etherington. His defense has been adequate enough to justify him getting minutes and his shooting has been pretty special to watch. Check this: He entered this afternoon’s contest shooting an incredible 59.5% from three, and hit both he took in this afternoon’s game. An afterthought Kelvin Sampson recruit who’s dealt with injury and stuck with this program during its darkest times, Roth is mattering this season. And well, he deserves it.

Thoughts on a 70-69 loss to the Cornhuskers:

Where to begin in a game so ripe for criticism?

Start here: Up 11 points with six minutes to go (63-52), Indiana appeared to be in control. The Hoosiers had an opportunity to step on Nebraska’s throat and cruise to a lopsided victory. If not, it was simply about maintaining and leaving Lincoln with the W and heads held high. But neither of these things happened.

Instead, Indiana completely fell apart down the stretch on both ends of the floor. Jordan Hulls missed the front end of a one-and-one. Jorge Diaz hit his two on the other end to put Nebraska up 1. Hulls, trying to avoid getting blocked in the waning seconds, threw up a lay-up that hit the underside of the rim. As the ball neared going out of bounds near the Indiana bench, he was able to chase it down and heave a desperation turnaround 3-pointer.It bounced off the rim. Nebraska’s student body rushed the court; Doc Sadler danced with them. The Cornhuskers had outscored the Hoosiers 18-6 over the final six minutes.

Had this really just happened? It had. It had indeed.

Beyond the meltdown, Indiana, as it has during this three-game losing streak, continues to have problems with turnovers. Tonight, the Hoosiers turned it over on almost a quarter of their possessions (22.7 percent, 15 turnovers). And it’s s not so much the other team imposing its will and making Indiana cough it up. Indiana simply isn’t being sharp with passes. They are being lackadaisical and lazy; these cough-ups are often of the self-inflicted variety.

And then there’s the defense that continues to underwhelm. On its face, Indiana allowing 1.02 points per possession to Nebraska this evening isn’t too bad. (1.0 is said to be an average offense). But when you are provided with the context that Nebraska is the worst offensive team in the conference and has only been scoring a woeful .84 points per possession in Big Ten play, it’s another poor performance by the Hoosiers.

Perhaps most troubling in this one was that, after showing such poise on the road against N.C. State, after showing resolve by coming back at Michigan State, after staring down the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the nation and saying “Not In Our House,”  they just wilted and died in this one.

Through 16 games, this was a tough team that showed a lot of maturity and confidence. They took punches and kept on swinging. But old habits are bubbling to the surface. Bad defense. Too many turnovers. A lack of focus and resolve. Add those three things up, and you get the Hoosiers of old under Tom Crean, a team that lost conference game after conference game after conference game.

They’ve now rung their latest total up to three … and counting.

Thoughts on a 80-63 loss against the Buckeyes:

Few, save for Jared Fogle, predicted a victory against the Buckeyes this late afternoon in Columbus.

They were out for revenge against an Indiana squad that defeated them on New Year’s Eve; they’d lost a tough one in Champaign earlier this week with Brandon Paul hitting everything in sight. As Dana O’Neil tweeted: “Never play the Buckeyes when they’re angry.”

But a first-half performance this putrid inside Value City Arena? Oy. Indiana had problems all over the place to start this one. The Hoosiers couldn’t buy a bucket, only having 14 points at the break, mustering just an eFG% of 29.5. They allowed 11 second-chance points to the Buckeyes, who sported an OR% of  37.5. Indiana also turned the ball over too much (12 turnovers, 37.5 TO%). And then there was Lenzelle Smith Jr. He came into this one averaging 5.2 points per game. At half, he had 18. When the final buzzer sounded, Smith had a career-high 28 on 10-of-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers.

But the second half? Indiana held its own. The shooting recovered (it finished with a 49.1 eFG% ) and the 3-point shot — which had been dormant against Minnesota and in the fist half  of this one — came to life a bit as Indiana hit 7-of-21 (33.3%) on the evening. Not as good as they’ve been hitting. But not as bad as the first half was projecting. Indiana went 2-3 zones for stretches, which helped slow the Buckeyes some. And the turnovers cooled down (17 total, 26.0 TO% for the game). The Hoosiers also outscored the Buckeyes in the second half, 49-45.

So after all is said and done here, Indiana — a team that was a 13-point underdog this morning and was given just a 16% chance of victory by KenPom — lost by 17. Bad? Sure. Season-altering, sky-is-falling bad after Thursday’s loss to Minnesota? I don’t think so.

The truth is this: Indiana probably isn’t as good as its 15-1 record indicated. And they probably aren’t one of the seven-best teams in the country. This does not mean they’re not worthy of a high seed come the tournament. Or that they can’t still challenge for one of the top spots in the conference . Or that they still can’t remain in the Top 25 for the remainder of the season.

But adversity has hit for the first time all year. And how these group of young men respond to it could ultimately tell the tale on this season.

It all caught up with the Hoosiers tonight.

The defense that’s been slumping? Minnesota exposed it tonight, its guards finding lanes to the hole, penetrating from the perimeter past Indiana’s olé’ing defense to the hoop for scores. And when the Hoosiers went 2-3 zone for extended minutes — something they’ve barely flirted with in-game all season — things did not get better. Minnesota attacked a 2-3 zone the way you’re supposed to: It found the man in the middle; Indiana collapsed in; the Gophers found seams off the baseline and kicked out to wing shooters that were hitting shots. Minnesota scored 1.15 points per possession inside Assembly Hall tonight. A performance like this, my friends, will not pull Indiana’s defense out of the Big Ten cellar.

That 3-point shooting that’s been transcendent? It fell from the sky to the earth with a loud thud. Indiana had its worst shooting night beyond the arc of the season (4-of-18, 22.2%).

On nights when shots aren’t falling and defense is lacking, there are still ways to win. Indiana stayed in this one because it got to the line and converted rather well (23-25, 88%, 45.5% FTR). It got into the bonus with a lot of time left in the second half (9:05), and hit 9-of-10 down the stretch. Two of those came on and-1 situations from Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller during IU’s final, furious run — one in which they almost snuck back into this game and stole a victory.

Offensive rebounding (second-chance points) and taking care of the ball (turnover percentage) are other ways. For a stretch in the second half, Minnesota seemed to be grabbing every offensive rebound in sight for putbacks. The Hoosiers didn’t do a good job of keeping the Gohpers off their offensive glass at all, as they rebounded 43.2 percent of their misses. Yet, Indiana actually won this battle, as the Hoosiers rebounded 45.2 percent of their misses and scored 22 second-chance points to Minnesota’s 13.

If there was anywhere they let this one slide away, it was that on top of shooting poorly from beyond the arc and playing bad D, the Hoosiers were sloppy. They turned the ball over on 23.7 percent of their possessions (16 times), which was just a little bit too much to overcome. The above video is a pretty apt summation of Indiana’s night; as the Hoosiers mounted their comeback, Christian Watford almost knocked a rebound out of bounds. A subsequent pass to an open Zeller near the basket which could have pulled the Hoosiers within four fumbled off his hands. (Though, Zeller did steal the ball on the next Minnesota possession, which led to Oladipo’s and-1.)

At some point, this was bound to happen. At some point, this team, which got off to a remarkable start no one saw coming, was bound to have an off night, lose a bit of their edge.

And this is but one game. That needs to be kept in perspective.

But the Hoosiers are showing a vulnerability on the defensive end, and don’t think the rest of the Big Ten isn’t taking notice.

SHORT & SWEET

+ Will Sheehey didn’t skip a beat in his return. He scored 12 points (5-of-7, 2-of-2 from the line) and snagged six boards in just 15 minutes of play. He felt like the spark Indiana needed at times tonight, so it would have been nice to see him more. But it’s likely he just wasn’t ready to play the 20 minutes a night he was averaging before he went down with injury.

Also: Tremendous to hear the Assembly Hall faithful give him an ovation and chant his name when he first checked in.

Thoughts on a 88-82 win against Penn State:

It rained threes inside the Bryce Jordan Center this afternoon.

Seven from Jordan Hulls on nine attempts. Five from Matt Roth on six attempts. Sixteen in total on 24 attempts (66.7%) for the Hoosiers. This sort of barrage was in the cards heading into this one. As Alex wrote yesterday — and as the Big Ten Network’s Tom Hart noted on the broadcast (thanks for the shout-out!) — Indiana is the best 3-point shooting team in the nation. Penn State gives up the second highest percentage of opponent points from behind the 3-point line in the country. Still, this sort of gaudy display was a treat and highlighted just how deadly Hulls and Roth are when they get open looks.

But the Nittany Lions would not go down quietly amidst the 3-point flurry. Pat Chambers has his kids playing hard. Some late-game half-court trapping and full-court pressure put the heat on the Hoosiers and caused a few turnovers. The last two minutes dragged, as Penn State made a serious run at pulling off a come-from-behind victory, trailing by just two with 21 seconds to play after getting a few quick, easy buckets at the rim. But some clutch free throw shooting by — who else? — Hulls and Roth shut the door on Penn State’s run.

The Hoosiers, no matter how it looked, picked up just their second conference road win in Tom Crean’s tenure and moved to 15-1 (3-1) on the season. They will take it.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS AND STATS:

+ Indiana’s defense has regressed a bit so far this Big Ten season. And such a notion was on full display in Happy Valley. The Hoosiers allowed 82 points to a middling Penn State offensive unit — which tied for the most points the Nittany Lions have scored this season. (They also had 82 points in a win against Youngstown State during the non-conference slate.) Indiana also allowed Penn State to score 1.18 points per possession. The Nittany Lions scored 36 points in the paint this evening, as the Hoosiers didn’t do a particularly good job of stopping penetration. Penn State was very good with the ball, turning it over only nine times (13.0 TO%). Indiana, meanwhile, turned it over 16 times and Penn State was able to score 18 points off of them.

+ Noted this a bit above, but a banner day for both Hulls and Roth. Hulls notched a career-high 28 points — in addition to his seven threes, he was 7-of-9 from the line — and just continues to be one of the best shooters in the country. Roth played arguably the most meaningful minutes of his career this afternoon, making the aforementioned 5-of-6 threes to go along with a perfect 7-of-7 mark from the line for 22 points.

+ Penn State is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the country. But Indiana kept them below their season mark coming into this one (37.5 OR%), as the Nittany Lions had a offensive rebounding percentage of 25.7 percent for the contest.

Thoughts on a 73-71 win over the Wolverines: 

Christian Watford wagged his head from side to side, his eyes peering to the left before he put his arms around a smiling Verdell Jones.

His body language said it all: “We escaped.”

Just when things started to get comfortable for the Hoosiers — they pushed the lead to 10 with 7:20 to go in the second half — Michigan kept finding ways to hang around. The Wolverines were recipients of some fortuitous buckets off loose balls; it seemed the ball would bounce around and land in Michigan’s possession and it would have an open look. Credit also goes to Michigan’s defense. The Wolverines mixed in a little 1-3-1 at times in the last few minutes and even when flashing man-to-man, Indiana struggled to get anything going. Cody Zeller, who dominated for a long portion of this one, stopped getting the ball. Victor Oladipo had four fouls and was falling in love with the three. Verdell Jones was turning the ball over. Jordan Hulls was silent.

The Hoosiers, since that aforementioned 10-point lead at the 7:20 mark, only managed eight points the rest of the way. But it was enough. Barely. If it wasn’t for Jones’ step-in deuce over Tim Hardaway Jr. — who had his moments, but needed 19 shots to score 19 points and probably could have shared the ball a bit more at times tonight — with 25 seconds to go to put Indiana up four, this one may have ended differently. Because Michigan would not go away. Stu Douglass nailed a three to cut it to one, Watford missed the back end of a one-and-one, and Zack Novak had a prayer half-courter to win the game as the clock expired.

It banged off the backboard.

The Hoosiers remained undefeated in Assembly Hall and have now beaten three Top 25 teams in the building. Assembly Hall and #iubb trend on Twitter. Everything continues coming up Hoosiers.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

+ We often talk about Cody Zeller as an NBA prospect, and deservedly so, but Dan Dakich starting banging that gong for Christian Watford tonight (as did Alex), and well, it’s not that far-fetched. I think Watford still has a ways to go and is far from a lock at this point, but if he continues on this trajectory for the next season and a half in Bloomington, his name being called on draft night isn’t out of the question. He’s been playing with more passion and aggression this season, which has helped. And well: The dude can shoot the rock. Watford scored 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting (3-of-4 from three), to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. There were times this evening, particularly that through-the-legs stepback he hit, where he looked like he was on another level. And it was needed, as outside of Zeller (18 points), no one on Indiana cracked double-digits in scoring.

+ Though they didn’t shoot a lot of them, Indiana had its best 3-point shooting effort of the season, knocking down 8-of-11 (63.6 percent). Michigan a did a nice job in the turnover department (17.6 TO%) as it turned it over just 12 times to keep them in this one. That tied the Wolverines with Notre Dame for the least turnovers an opponent had against the Hoosiers this season. Alex tweeted both these stats not too long ago. Hey, it’s late. And that’s all for me tonight.

Thoughts on a 74-70 win over the Buckeyes:

For about the first 30 minutes tonight, this game was devoid of flow.

Whistles dominated. And key players found themselves in foul trouble. The Buckeyes’ top three scorers — Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and William Buford — all ended the contest with four fouls. Thomas and Sullinger sat for a large chunk of the first half with two early ones each. As a result, the Hoosiers went on a 23-13 run after Sullinger left with his second foul and went into the locker room with a 33-32 lead. Cody Zeller, for the first time this season, fouled out with 2:24 to go in the game. It all affected defense. Often, Sullinger, Thomas and Buford — not wanting to pick up another foul — played off Indiana some and allowed them to get buckets at the rim. By the time this one was over, Indiana had outscored Ohio State 38-34 in the paint after the Buckeyes had protected the rim well to start the game.

Thankfully, this one wasn’t won or lost for either team due to fouls. Things opened up the last 7-8 minutes, and it was a joy to watch. Each team trading bucket after bucket, the lead changing and changing, both teams unable to pull away. Neither led by more than three from the 9:06 mark onwards until two seconds to go in the contest, when Christian Watford hit two free throws to put the Hoosiers up four and seal the deal.

So it would come down to late-game execution. And the Hoosiers, as they did against Kentucky, as they weren’t able to do for so long under Tom Crean, were the ones getting it done when it mattered. Down 70-69 with just under 40 seconds to go, Jordan Hulls deflected an Aaron Craft pass to Sam Thompson, which tipped to Verdell Jones. Jones found Victor Oladipo — who played some tremendous defense on Craft in this one and had a strong offensive night with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting — down the court, who scooped under the hoop to avoid Thompson and score. It put the Hoosiers up 71-70. After Ohio State took its final timeout of the game, Derek Elston played strong post defense on Sullinger. So Craft drove to the hoop on Oladipo. Hulls slid over to help, leaving Thompson open near the basket. But the pass hit off his hands and out of bounds.

Hulls was fouled on the next inbounds and hit the front end of a one-and-one. 72-70 Indiana with 13.4 to go. On the ensuing Ohio State position, Buford quickly jacked a highly-contested three, perhaps thinking the Buckeyes were down by that amount. In any case, the board went to Watford, he was fouled and made the aformentioned two free throws.

Game over. The Hoosiers now the winner of contests against both the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the nation inside Assembly Hall this season. Who woulda thunk it?

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE:

+ Ohio Sate came into the game sixth in the nation in turnover percentage (15.5). But Indiana turned them over at  a 25.2 percent clip this evening (17 turnovers) which resulted in 16 points off turnovers for the Hoosiers. Ohio State scored 13 points off 12 Indiana turnovers.

+ Indiana had a bit of an off night at the line this evening, hitting only 68.2 percent (15-22). Even Hulls missed one. But even though the Buckeyes got to the line more (19-of-26, 73.1 percent), the Hoosiers still pulled out the W.

+ Thomas (five points on just 2-of-6 shooting) and Buford (eight points) were both held under their season averages of 15.9 and 16.6 points, respectively. Some of this was due to their foul issues, but credit Indiana’s D for holding these two in check as well.

+ Alright, that’s all she wrote for me in 2011. Be safe if you’re venturing out this evening. Peace and love in the New Year.

Thoughts on Indiana’s 80-65 loss to Michigan State:

Welcome to life on the road in the Big Ten against a strong defense.

What has come so easy for the Hoosiers on offense this season crumbled for long stretches up in East Lansing this evening.

Michigan State’s defense took the Hoosiers out of their comfort zone early. Their length and on-ball defense didn’t allow Indiana any breathing room. The Spartans were blocking mid-range and perimeter shots. The Hoosiers were unable to drive, unable to get the ball inside to Cody Zeller with MSU’s hands stretched high and Adreian Payne fronting and bodying the freshman.

But this was a wild one with violent swings.

Indiana proceeded to go on a 25-2 run on the strength of defense, some transition buckets and 3-pointers. After knocking down a lot of shots in the first half, Michigan State didn’t score its first of the second half — a jumper by Draymond Green — until the 14:49 mark. Indiana, and specifically Christian Watford, was snagging every rebound in sight. With 11:07 to go, Watford hit a 3-pointer, and the Hoosiers were up nine. The Izzone was out of it; Indiana was flying high.

But then it started to slip away. Michigan State’s D turned it up again. And Indiana’s offense went back to struggling to get anything going in the half court. It was passes around the perimeter as the shot clock ticked away. Derek Elston came into the game. He drew only backboard on a shot, committed a foul and turned the ball over. He was promptly yanked.

And then the Spartans started dominating the inside. Derrick Nix was stellar off the bench, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He had his way with Zeller. Payne got his buckets over the final minutes, too. And combo guard freshman sophomore Keith Appling was sensational on both sides of the ball — he had an incredible block on a Victor Oladipo fast-break lay-up — in what ended on a 35-11 run by the Spartans to close this one out. Peep this line for Appling: 25 points (7-of-12, 2-of-4 from three, 9-of-10 from the line), seven assists and six rebounds.

This one was closer than the 15-point spread it ended up at. Indiana showed much resolve in punching back and going up nine. But alas, it was a 16th straight road loss in the Big Ten for the Hoosiers. They’re now 1-27 on the road in conference play under Tom Crean.

And things don’t get any easier with the Buckeyes coming to Bloomington on Saturday. Big Ten basketball is back. And it’s unforgiving.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

+ Hell of an effort from Watford tonight. You could see the fire in his eyes from the onset and it carried through all game. His work on the boards early in the second half was particularly impressive. For the night he finished with 26 points (9-of-16, 4-of-6 from three, 4-of-6 from the line) and 10 rebounds. He’s often been derided for his lack of effort and focus for a full 40 minutes. (He himself has been part of the chorus there.) But if he can bring an effort like tonight throughout the Big Ten season — and frankly, this team is really going to need him to at times — Indiana will be in good shape the rest of the way.

+ Jordan Hulls is one of the best shooters in the country. Has been for some time now. But when the Hoosiers run up against a team that takes them out of what they’re trying to do in the halfcourt offense, one that has size and length, it’s sometimes difficult for him to be effective. Hulls missed all four 3-pointers he took this evening and was just 2-of-10 from the field. (Though, he did miss a few open looks; so perhaps it was just an off-night in general for the junior.)

+ Don’t think I’m alone in this next statement: This was by far Zeller’s worst game of the season. Michigan State’s bigs outmuscled him all evening. He got in foul trouble. And he generally just didn’t have much, if any, impact on the game (four points on back-to-back buckets early in the second half, three rebounds). He only had four field goal attempts. The freshman has an incredible skillset for his age and a maturity beyond his years. But at only 19 years of age, he’s still growing and getting stronger. And there’s going to be nights like this in the Big Ten, when, for all his talent, his lack of strength is going to be exploited.

+ A few parting numbers: Indiana got crushed at the foul line. The Hoosiers only took nine and made just five. The Spartans got to the line 22 times and made 17 of them. At one point in the second half, Indiana was dominating the boards, sporting a 40.o OR% and a 78.3 DR%. But by the time the dust settled on Michigan State’s final run — one in which they started rebounding better — the final tallies were pretty close. Indiana finished with a 31.0 OR%; Michigan State ended the game with a 28.6 OR%. The Hoosiers closed out the game with a 71.4 DR%; the Spartans weren’t far behind at 69.0 percent.

Thoughts on a 89-47 win over the Retrievers:

Indiana was getting good outside shots in the first half.

The Hoosiers just weren’t hitting them against UMBC’s zone, as they only made 2-of-14 from 3-point range. Still, they were able to carry a 16-point lead into halftime by scoring 24 of their 37 points off UMBC turnovers. And by the time the second half rolled around, Indiana found its 3-ball stride and never looked back. They hit 9-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half. Christian Watford went off — he shot 7-of-8 in the second half and ended the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Roth (4-of-5 from 3-point range) scored a season-high 14 points. It all resulted in another blowout victory after UMBC was able to cut the lead to 10 early in the second half.

But as Indiana now heads into conference play at 12-0, there’s some concern. Will Sheehey, who’s been a strong sixth man for the Hoosiers, watched the game on the bench. He’s on crutches. Derek Elston took in the action with sweats on. He’s got tape on a broken nose. And Verdell Jones went down with what looked like a hip injury near the end of the first half, and he never returned to action or the bench after halftime.

Indiana faced and passed tests against the likes of Butler, NC State, Kentucky and Notre Dame.

And now it looks as if a new one has emerged: keeping their winning ways afloat amidst a sea of injuries.

Elston shouldn’t be out long. And Tom Crean said after tonight’s game that both Sheehey and Jones are day to day. But if they’re unable to go next week, Crean may be using a lot more Roth, Remy Abell and Austin Etherington in his rotation as Big Ten season approaches next week. That’s a 3-point specialist and two freshman.

This isn’t to say the Hoosiers can’t still put up strong battles against Michigan State and Ohio State without them. But it is to say if Jones and Sheehey — two of Indiana’s top six rotation players — aren’t able to play against either of them, things do get harder for this team.

ONE PARTING THOUGHT

I usually don’t comment on the play-by-play or color broadcasters. But I must admit: Perry Clark really did it for me this evening on the color call. He described Tom Crean’s offensive and defensive sets in greater detail than anyone else this season and overall was just a real knowledgeable dude who didn’t have any gimmicks. And this was on an ESPN3/Watch ESPN broadcast, no less.

So yes: Here’s to you, Coach Clark.

Thoughts on a 107-50 win over the Bison:

Jordan Hulls hits a flailing left-handed three as the shot clock expires, and it’s just that kind of the night for the Hoosiers — one where eveything seemed to be going in the bucket.

Consider these numbers from the first half: Indiana scored 1.53 points per possession, registered  an effective field goal percentage of 85.7 and assisted on 14 of its 18 buckets, nine of which were threes (9-of-14). Things slowed a bit in the second half. But for the game, Indiana still put up some silly numbers: a season-high eFG% of 77.9 (75.0 percent on twos, 55.0 percent on threes), a free throw rate of 71.2 and 27 assists on 35 field goals. It also scored 1.45 points per possession for the contest, its highest mark in the Tom Crean era, according to Big Ten Geeks.

By the time Indiana got up 50ish midway through the second half, Crean started using the game as a glorified scrimmage, as the Hoosiers worked on a seldom-used 1-3-1 zone with most of his starters still on the court. As the final minutes waned, Indiana was even getting scoring from deep in the bench. Raphael Smith hit two free throws; Kory Barnett made a three. And despite going over the century mark, this was an incredibly balanced attack, as six Hoosiers scored 10 or more points (Hulls with 16, Verdell Jones, Cody Zeller and Will Sheehey with 12, Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo with 10).

Indiana was a heavy favorite in this one from the onset. (The line was 28.5 points.) Still, a performance this dominant and efficient speaks to how well this team continues to play together on offense, and it’s yet another strong step on their path up this season’s mountain.

OTHER THOUGHTS

+ A blowout like this allowed Derek Elston some decent playing time (12 minutes) and he had an efficient offensive performance on some high-percentage looks around the rim (3-of-4 from the field, 2-of-4 from the line for eight points). There will come a time when the Hoosiers will need Elston in Big Ten season, so it’s good to see he’s still attacking the basket after minor back problems during the week leading up the the Kentucky game.

+ Should Remy Abell be getting more minutes? There’s a case to be made for it, even if he’s got veterans in front of him and still looks like a player that needs a bit more experience at the collegiate level at times. Tonight, he scored a career-high nine points (2-of-2 from the field including a three, 4-of-4 from the line) and dished out five assists in 14 minutes. Like Elston, there may come a time in the Big Ten season where fouls could be an issue in the backcourt and Crean may have to rely upon Abell to play more minutes, so it’s important for him to see the floor for an extended stretch in a game like this.

Thoughts on a 69-58 win over the Fighting Irish:

This was not Indiana’s finest performance.

After all the Kentucky game’s emotion and what followed during the off week — the endless stream of celebration videos, the national media interviews, the first entry into the country’s Top 25 in the Tom Crean era — some expected this. Feared it.

And there it was, happening on a dead late afternoon inside Conseco Fieldhouse: The Hoosiers found themselves down nine in the first half to an average Notre Dame team — its largest deficit of the season. This one was ugly and foul-heavy and it dragged on and on. It was generally just one to forget.

The Fighting Irish didn’t hit a shot for the final 14:33 of the first half. And yet, the Hoosiers were only able to muster a modest six-point lead (26-20) at the break because they had offensive problems of their own (just a 34.4 eFG% in the first half). Indiana didn’t hit its first 3-pointer until Jordan Hulls splashed one through at 13:56 in the second half. And even though the Hoosiers built a comfortable lead in the final twenty minutes — leading by low double-digits for a long stretch — Notre Dame was really only a mini-run away from making a game of it despite only hitting 38.7 percent from the field.

The Irish were able to hang in this one thanks to free throws (a staggering free throw rate of 78.6 percent where they hit 22-of-33 from the line to account for 37.9 percent of their points).

In a game where the Hoosiers failed to execute efficiently on offense, Cody Zeller made the difference. The freshman scored 21 points in 27 minutes on 8-of-14 shooting on a range of buckets around the basket. He went 5-of-6 from the line and had eight boards. And save for picking up four fouls which kept him out on defense during the final stretch of the game, he was exactly what Indiana needed in this one.

Indiana now finds itself coming up on what what should be a couple of easy wins; it faces Howard on Monday before taking on UMBC on Thursday. But after these two games, the Big Ten beckons.

A road test against a Michigan State team that’s on the rise on Dec. 28. A New Year’s Eve bout at home against a talented Ohio State squad.

And an effort like the one the Hoosiers displayed against Notre Dame? It ain’t gonna cut it against the Spartans or Buckeyes.

Thoughts on a 73-72 win over the Wildcats:

They did it.

These Hoosiers took down mighty No. 1 Kentucky inside Assembly Hall this evening in a game that meant so much to so many.

A ton of hype and coverage and buzz coming into this one. Energy flowing through Assembly Hall like it hadn’t in so long. In too long. And it showed in the first half. A combined 24 turnovers between UK and IU. It was frantic and exciting and just plain fun.

And there the Hoosiers were in the second half, up comfortably — well, as comfortably as a lead of 8-to-10 points can be against a team as athletic and talented as the Wildcats —  and finding their stroke from beyond the arc after a first half where it was pretty much non-existent. Six straight threes. Anthony Davis picking up his third and fourth fouls. Terrence Jones looking discontented and disinterested.

The upset was brewing.

But Marquis Teague started exploiting Jordan Hulls off the dribble. He had 15 in the second half. Darius Miller hit some big shots. Indiana never got the ball into Cody Zeller when it was clear they needed to. The offense sputtered and they missed shots. This Kentucky team has a knack for putting up big runs. Suddenly, that lead that felt secure disappeared.

Teague went around Hulls again to put the Wildcats up 71-70 with 49 seconds to go. After a missed Christian Watford jumper, Zeller fouled Davis. He missed the front end of a one-and-one. Life. An IU timeout. A Victor Oladipo turnover and subsequent foul of Doron Lamb, who was also instrumental in Kentucky’s offense (19 points). 5.6 seconds to go. Lamb on the line. He misses the first. Indiana timeout. He makes the second. 72-70 Kentucky. No timeouts left for the Hoosiers.

Verdell Jones gets the inbounds pass and dribbles down the court. He’s halted by Darius Miller near the paint. He turns around and passes to Watford behind the 3-point line. Watford shoots, the clock expires, the ball splashes through the net.

73-72 Indiana. Ball game.

Bedlam inside Assembly Hall, a sea of red on Branch McCracken Court, the students and players in a collective celebration over what’s just transpired. Will Sheehey, Jones, Watford and Oladipo on the scorer’s table, the kings of the court. Tom Crean in an old school Indiana hat, placing it atop Dicky V’s head as he’s interviewed. How sweet the scene was.

December 10, 2011: The day no team in sports matters more than these Hoosiers. The day Indiana returned to relevancy.

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE

+ Heck of a game from Watford. As Zach Osterman tweeted, tonight was his best game as a Hoosier. Besides his buzzer-beater for the win — which goes down in Indiana lore forever — Watford hit a number of key buckets down the stretch and played with no fear. He finished the night with 20 points (8-of-15 shooting, 4-of-6 from three). And on a night with 18 turnovers for the Hoosiers, he only recorded one in 30 minutes.

+ Going into this one, many pundits predicted a hot shooting night from three was the way to victory for the Hoosiers. They were right. Indiana hit seven straight at one point (last one of the first half, six straight to start the second half) and finished the night 9-of-15 for 60 percent. Sheehey was 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, while Hulls was 3-of-6.

+ Indiana was leading the free throw battle in the first half, but Kentucky ended up edging them in free-throw rate by the end of the contest (31.5 to 29.3). Still, both teams shot 17 from the stripe and Indiana connected on four more (14) than the Wildcats (10) which was key in a narrow victory.

+ Getting Davis into foul trouble was big. With Davis around the rim, Indiana wasn’t as effective at the bucket. His presence loomed large. But with him out for long stretches, there was a little more ease around the hoop for the Hoosiers.

+ Indiana won the offensive rebounding battle, just edging the Wildcats in offensive rebounding percentage (41.2 to 38.5). It aided in 16 second-chance points, while Kentucky had 10 second-chance points. Indiana also scored more points off the Wildcats’ 17 turnovers (23) than Kentucky did off of Indiana’s 18 turnovers (19).

Thoughts on an 84-50 win over the Hatters:

Lethargic.

Alex described Indiana’s first half in such fashion, and it was spot on.

The reasons were tossed out on Twitter during the first half: A sleepy Sunday with a sparse student section, a bit of a hangover after an important road win against N.C. State, an overlooking of the opponent with Kentucky looming in less than a week.

Whatever the reason, the Hoosiers only found themselves up 33-29 at the break. And Tom Crean apparently didn’t like the effort he was getting from some of his players, as starters Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo began the second half on the bench.

Derek Elston, Daniel Moore and Will Sheehey started in favor of them. That was about all that was needed. That group started the half strong, and it continued no matter who was in the lineup in the second half. The Hoosiers outscored the Hatters by 30 (51-21) over the final 20 minutes of the contest. It was strong defense (some turing into offense), alley-oops (one for Oladipo and Zeller; one and a half for Tom Pritchard) and solid ball movement.

It was, quite simply, what was expected out of this Hoosier team against an opponent like this.

SOME NUMBERS

+ The Hoosier dished out 20 assists on 34 made baskets.

+ The Hatters turned the ball over 23 times — Indiana had 13 steals — which led to 30 points off turnovers for the cream and crimson.

+ After going scoreless and attempting just two total shots against Butler and N.C. State, Derek Elston got back into the mix against the Hatters. The Tipton native scored seven points on 3-of-6 (1-of-2 from three) shooting in 16 minutes of action.

+ Indiana went 11-14 from the line for a free-throw rate of just 21.2 — lower than its season average of 35.4.

+ The Hoosiers scored an impressive 50 points in the paint. Cody Zeller chipped in there with another strong performance, scoring 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

NEXT ON THE DOCKET

The Hoosiers get the week to prepare for Kentucky, who will be ranked No. 1 in the nation when they come to Assembly Hall on Saturday. We’ll have preview coverage as the week unfolds.

Thoughts on an 86-75 win over N.C. State:

Christian Watford and Verdell Jones were dribbling into traffic and turning the ball over. C.J. Leslie was blocking Cody Zeller. The Hoosiers were failing to get the free-throw line and ball movement had disappeared.

You could feel it slipping away as Tom Crean called timeout with his Hoosiers facing a seven-point deficit at the 7:43 mark in the second half.

But they punched back.

Victor Oladipo, who was quiet most of the night due to foul trouble, rose to the occasion. He slashed to the basket for scores off the left wing. He got out and transition and received a flagrant-1. He hit free throws. And with four fouls, he showed no fear in picking up a fifth, blocking Lorenzo Brown’s shot at the 4:17 mark and recording two steals — the last of which he highlighted with a reverse slam with 20 seconds to go. The sophomore’s energy has been so crucial to the ebb and flow of Indiana’s games this season. Tonight, on the ropes, they needed him in a big way. And he delivered.

Cody Zeller was there, too. Early in the second half, Indiana looked to feed him the ball early and often. But in a hostlie road environment,  Zeller, well, looked like a freshman. He sped up his game; he tried to do a little too much. But there he was in those final few minutes scoring around the rim. A dunk, a lay-up, a put-back off an Oladipo miss. He hit two free throws in the closing minutes, too. In the end, it was another efficient shooting night for the Washington native (8-of-14 for 19 points), as he also ripped down nine boards.

Jordan Hulls. He made the difference tonight, too. After getting off to a red-hot start and being one of the few players this evening to look competent in one-on-one situations, Hulls hit a key three at with 1:45 to go to put IU up four that just about sealed the deal. He also hit four free throws in those closing minutes and has now hit 52 straight dating back to last season. Hulls finished with 20 points. Impressive stuff.

Had this been last season or the season before or the one before that, it’s sayonara for Indiana — likely before they even got down seven at the 7:38 mark.

But we’ve seen it these first seven games now: This is a different team. A different year. A new energy has risen up from Indiana’s soul. They are confident. They have resolve.

The road ahead is long. And it doesn’t get any easier from here.

But for the first time in Crean era, Indiana appears ready for the challenge.

QUICKLY …

+ Indiana gave up way too many offensive boards in the first half, as N.C. State registered a whopping 63.1 offensive rebounding percentage. This allowed them a lot of second-chance opportunities. But the Hoosiers did a much better job of keeping Leslie, Richard Howell and C.J. Washington off the boards in the second half. N.C. State only recorded five offensive rebounds and just one resulted in second-chance points — a Leslie putback with 2:37 to go. This was key in keeping the Wolfpack at bay down the stretch.

+ Indiana was losing the free throw battle for most of the night, but during that final stretch from the 7:38 mark to the final buzzer, it made 14-of-16 and beat N.C. State in the free-throw rate battle, 38.3 to 33.3.

Thoughts on a 75-59 win over the Bulldogs:

This one meant something.

From the tip, all these Indiana boys fighting for bragging rights got after it. They scraped and clawed and sacrificed their bodies. And well: They turned the ball over and fouled and shot poorly at times, too. Some called it ugly. Others called it a thing of beauty.

Whatever your frame of reference, this one did not always look like a double-digit victory for the Hoosiers. Butler was far and away the most fundamentally sound defensive team Indiana faced this season. And even when the Hoosiers were getting good looks, they failed to knock them down.

Maybe it was nerves, the known symbolic importance of beating the state’s new darling and reclaiming some pride for IU.

The Hoosiers only hit 20 percent of their shots from inside the arc in the first half, but were able to go into the locker room up three points thanks to some hot shooting from 3-point distance (5-of-10).

At times, it felt like the Hoosiers were about to break through. But Butler responded on each occasion, until the 10:13 mark in the second half.

Tom Pritchard — who was effective on the defensive end in nine minutes of action — dove to the floor for a steal. Jordan Hulls pushed it up the court and kicked it to Christian Watford. (The Alabama native forced a bit too much action at times tonight in a poor shooting effort — 2-of-10). He found Hulls curling around him to the hoop for a finger-roll lay-in.

Defense into offense once again for these Hoosiers.

Speaking of defense, Indiana’s intensity on that end was key tonight. It forced Butler — a team known for taking care of the ball — to cough it up 21 times. The Hoosiers recorded 14 steals. They held Butler to just 38.2 percent from the floor and 27.8 percent from 3-point range.

There were other factors, too. Indiana’s free-throw rate (76.6) helped, as they hit 29-of-36 for the evening. Will Sheehey continues to take his game to the next level, recording a career-high 21 points. Cody Zeller was steady with 16 and eight. (Though, he showed some frustration, was outmuscled at times and even tossed up an air ball.)

Through five bouts, the Hoosiers made it look so easy. Tonight, it wasn’t always so. But this team continues to show confidence, togetherness and a sense of purpose.

On this night inside Assembly Hall, the statement was made loud and clear: Indiana’s on the rise.

THE WEEK AHEAD

This dogfight was a solid training session for the Hoosiers before they take on North Carolina State on Wednesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina — a game which appears to be shaping up as Indiana’s toughest test of the season to date.

A week from today they’ll take on Stetson at home.

But for now, they remain 6-0 — all victories coming by 15 points or more.

Musings on a 73-49 win over the Bulldogs:

For the first 25 minutes of this one, Indiana struggled with energy.

But Victor Oladipo, as he was born to do, made sure it would not last.

A steal by the sophomore and subsequent assist to Cody Zeller just over five minutes into the second half ignited the Assembly Hall faithful. From there, the rout was on.

The Hoosiers picked up the tempo. The offense started firing on all cylinders with stronger ball movement. Will Sheehey, IU’s other hype man, hit a jumper at the 9:21 mark — his tenth straight point — to put the Hoosiers up 30.

Game. Set. Match.

REBOUNDING

Tom Crean reportedly challenged his team to get after it on the boards tonight. That challenge was met with success. The Hoosiers were strong on both the offensive (38.7 offensive rebounding percentage) and defensive (84.8 defensive rebounding percentage) boards this evening, the former of which led to 14 second-chance points. The Hoosiers also had 40 points in the paint, good for more than half of its scoring. They also converted Gardner-Webb’s 19 turnovers into 26 points. Scoring in this fashion helped the Hoosiers tonight, who after shooting nearly 50 percent on threes through four games, went only 3-of-18 from beyond the arc. They also had a poor night on the line, hitting only 12-of-23.

DEREK DOES IT AGAIN

After the Savannah State tilt, I noted Elston might be better served stepping behind the three-point line instead of shooting long twos. Tonight, Elston showed off another facet of his offensive game instead; he had several strong takes to the rim on his way to 10 points and also muscled in for nine boards (three offensive).

This all came in just 15 minutes of play.

I thought IU’s Assistant Athletic Director for Broadcast Services Jeremy Gray put the Tipton native’s current play nicely via the Tweet Machine: “Elston’s confidence is growing game by game. He’s always been skilled. Now he looks comfortable and purposeful.”

TIME FOR A TEST

You wonder if part of tonight’s sluggish start was this team not quite getting up for Gardner-Webb, probably the easiest W so far this season on paper.

But as I noted last time around — and as we all know by now — the tests will come in the coming weeks against the likes of Butler, North Carolina State, Notre Dame and Kentucky.

But until then, bask in this team’s 5-0 start. All coming by 20 points or more — which is a program first.